S&W has never admitted that the lock ever failed by locking up from recoil, but they very quietly changed the lock so it can't do what it didn't do.

I never use the lock, but then I have no small children or unauthorized persons in the house, so I see no problems. Still, I can see situations where its use would be appropriate. Oddly, it seems the heat on locks has been directed at S&W, while locks by Ruger, Taurus and others have been ignored.